Ronald Reagan Administration Thesis Statement

Reaganomics was economics policies which were propelled by United States President, Ronald Reagan during 1980s. These policies were based on fours pillars namely; reduction of the growth of government spending, reduction of income and capital gains marginal tax rates, reduction of government regulation of economy, and controlling of the money in supply so as to reduce inflation. Their basic aims were to lower taxes and create a leaner government. According to Reagan his decision was informed on stimulation of the economy taxes, financed by borrowing. Lowering taxes was aimed at reviving the economy, which in turn would see the increased tax revenues being used to offset the debts incurred (Niskanen

In conclusion, President Reagan was operative in convincing his audience that he was the right choice for who should lead the U.S. I firmly believe that Ronald Reagan was the last good President we had in office. He not only kept to his word, but also was able to inspire the American people and remind them what hope was and what it looked and felt like. Shown through this piece, it is evident that he was an eloquent communicator and an overall persuasive orator. By using pathos, rhetorical questioning,

President Ronald Reagan, the man who is accredited with ended the forty six year cold war was elected on Nov. 4, 1980. Reagan won his election with fifty percent of the popular vote over former President Jimmy Carter who had forty one percent. While Reagan as a president is praised for such successes as strengthening the national defense, stimulating growth in the U.S. economically, and as mentioned before he is considered the President who ended the Cold War. President Reagan had achieved many things by the end of his administration, but just as he had many successes his presidency was plagued with shortcomings and a handful of what could be considered flat out failures. The purpose of this writing is to establish and identify the ‘cons’ or failures of the Reagan administration, and provide a brief description of each different aspect of the administration.

Ronald Wilson Reagan, born February 6, 1911, served the United States as the 40th president from 1981 to 1989. Reagan was the first and only movie actor elected to office. During his two-terms in office, Reagan had many accomplishments; cutting taxes, strengthened and increased national defense spending, and through foreign policy pursued “peace through strength.” (Freidel & Sidey, 2006). The primary strength Reagan possessed in office was his oratory skills, in which he was dubbed “The Great Communicator”. The presidency of Ronald Reagan corresponded with a “long period of dramatic economic growth and the beginning of a momentous change in international relations.” (Brinkley, 2002). Through legislation, Reagan stimulated the

Reagan implemented policies based on supply-side economics and advocated a classical liberal and laissez-faire philosophy, seeking to stimulate the economy with large, across-the-board tax cuts. Reagan’s outlook on economics was what he and the public called “Reaganomics”. “The blueprint for “Reaganomics,” was a sketched out supply-side approach to the economic, including massive cuts in income taxes, capital gains taxes, and corporate taxes,”(340). His platform advocated reducing tax rates to spur economic growth, controlling the money supply to reduce inflation, deregulation of the economy, and reducing government spending. Reagan's policies proposed that economic growth would occur when marginal tax rates were low enough to spur investment, which would then lead to increased economic growth, higher employment, and wages. Reagan’s beliefs on cutting taxes were supported by ideas of William Sumner who believed that the best equipped to win the struggle for existence was the American businessman, and concluded that taxes and regulations serve as dangers to his survival. Reagan believed strong nations were composed of people who were successful at expanding their empires and these strong nations would survive in the struggle for dominance.

(Kaitlyn Miller Disc.) 3. This occurred, while "the income of middle-class families, especially those with a wife who did not work outside the home, stagnated while that of the poorest one-fifth of the population declined". So in other words, Reagan's idea of lowering the taxes for all, was a good idea, but in practice fell short. Instead of economic freedom for all, it was economic freedom for the wealthy.

Due to this, Reagan had his own ideas on how to stimulate the economy. Reagan was influenced by Muslim philosopher Ibn Khaldoon who said “when [tax] rates were high, revenue was low and when [tax] rates are low, revenue is high” (Reagan 231). There were four main prongs of Reagan’s economic policy: cutting the money supply, cutting tax rates, curtailing the burden of regulation, and reducing the amount of growth of the federal deficit (Weidenbaum). One of the first things Reagan did was initiate a hiring freeze of federal employees while he straightened out the current financial situation (Schwartzberg 82). Due to his own personal experience with a ninety-four percent tax bracket, Reagan supported lower taxes because he discovered that higher taxes lead to lower incentive to work (Reagan 231).

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan was President of the United States from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. He was one of the most popular presidents in the country’s history. When he ran for a second term, he won by a landslide. He won in 49 out of 50 states and got more electoral votes than any presidential candidate in history.

“The Reagan Revolution was an effort to scale back the scope of government, lower taxes, and reinvigorate the Cold War.” (Voices of Freedom, pg. 321). He proved that reducing excessive tax rates encourages growth, increases economic activity, and boosts tax revenues. Reagan said, “I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty of ourselves, our children, and our children’s children…of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom.” (Voice of Freedom, 323) He accomplished and helped the economy tremendously. I truly believe that he made United States of America a better place for us to settle

When he took office, the inflation rate was 13.5%, tax rates were high, the unemployment rate was 7.6%, and there had been a long period of stagflation. In his first inaugural address, he said “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Ronald Reagan believed that if government spending is reduced, then the United States could achieve economic recovery. He also believed that by reducing the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital, reducing regulation, and reducing inflation by controlling the growth of the money supply the United States’ economy would improve. This idea became known as “Reaganomics”. Reaganomics was the biggest attempt to change the economic state of the United States since the New Deal in

As President, Ronald Reagan encountered many significant events; from surviving an assassination attempt, to the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Perhaps the most significant event was the economic downturn. He came to office (much like President Obama) in the midst of an economic crisis; however, President Reagan was able to turn the economy around. How did he do this? In order to answer this question, you must first ask what the economy was like when he was sworn into office, how his policy changed from the prior administration’s policy, and how it contrasts our present economic policy.

Ronald Wilson Reagan, elected as the 40th President of the United States of America in 1980. Became one of the most beloved and revered President in modern times. He’s most known for bringing the end to the Cold War and helping bring an end to major communist activities in the world. There were several of Reagan’s policies that had an impact on ending the Cold War. In order to bring down the Soviet Union and end the Cold War for good, Reagan came up with the Reagan Doctrine, built up our military, and used his quick wit and humor to demean the USSR’s communist ideals.

The late 1970’s represented a discouraging time in United States History with high unemployment rates and radical countercultural movements (History). The honeymoon stage of the 1960’s and 1970’s dreams were long over; in its place came inflation, turmoil regarding foreign policy,and crime rates that raised to an all time high (History). America was going through both foreign and domestic unrest spurring an economic crisis that eroded the public's faith in both their fellow citizens and their government. America embraced Ronald Reagan’s proposed policies in the election of 1980 because it gave them hope. Ronald Reagan qualifies as the best president because economically he revitalized the United States’ economy, utilized aggressive means to achieve his foreign policy, and created a multitude of domestic policies to strengthen the United States.

There are five main reasons why Reagan is admired by large segments of the American public. Firstly, he is considered to have been a staunch patriot and a charismatic leader (Spinrad, 1991). These qualities were needed in a president at the time due to the influence of the Soviet Union and the threat of communism. It was also important due to Americans being demoralised from the failure in Vietnam. Secondly, the six months leading up to the end of his second term were characterised by increased cooperation with the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev to reform the union. It eventually resulted in the total collapse of the Soviet Union and Reagan is credited for assisting in the eradication of the communist threat. The third, and more controversial reason for Reagan’s popularity, is the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project funded by conservative Americans (Norquist, n.d.). The project aims to instil the legacy of Reagan by lobbying to name buildings, roads, and landmarks after the president. This boosts the image and prestige of the president in the eyes of the people, especially for people who did not live during his presidency or do not know much about him.

I have decided to write my research paper on the topic of Ronald Reagan's Domestic and Foreign Affairs. The reason that I choose this topic was because I have always been personally interested in Ronald Reagan's time in office and the national crisis he had to deal with. Reagan was awesome when it came to foreign policy because he knew how to negotiate with foreign leaders and their countries to get what he wanted. There were several instances during his time in office that he had the chance to use his ability to get the country out of danger. Domestic Affairs is another part of Reagan's presidency that was very important. He was able to take the country, which seemed to be in an economic slump and turn their economic status around.